National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library

The National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library (NCSML) has been expanded and re-opened in 2013, creating a state-of-the-art LEED certified facility. The new 50,000 square foot museum and library encompasses a multipurpose theatre, an expanded 5,500 square foot library and archive, enhanced programming and education spaces, as well as three new temporary galleries and a 7,261 square foot permanent exhibition gallery. 

Lord Cultural Resources in association with Xibitz Inc. were engaged to develop the new permanent exhibition, entitled Faces of Freedom, as a means of expressing the Museum’s new mission to “inspire people from every background to connect to Czech and Slovak history and culture.” As part of that development, the team conducted four intensive Visioning Workshops with the NCSML project team and approximately 70 stakeholders from diverse fields, including academia, education, tourism and culture sectors, émigrés, descendants, and more. These sessions highlighted the salience of certain themes and guiding the development of the interpretive plan and concept design to revolve around themes of freedom, immigration, human agency, and culture and identity.

Lord completed developing the exhibition content, as well as the graphic templates and case layouts, while ensuring design remained responsive to the visitor experience as developed in the interpretive plan. The completed exhibition is a balance of hands-on and multimedia interactives, immersive environments, oral histories, visitor participation and artifact displays, The Faces of Freedom exhibition officially opened in June 2013.